Honey Roasted Parsnip Soup

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This honey roasted parsnip soup is thick and creamy, with a touch of sweetness, and plenty of earthy parsnip flavour. Such a good appetiser or light lunch!

A bowl of creamy parsnip soup topped with a swirl of cream and fresh thyme.

Is there any better way to prepare parsnips than roasted in honey? If there is, I haven’t found it. The honey caramelises around the crispy parsnips, which stay soft and fluffy in the middle. They’re little bites of heaven.

This honey roasted parsnip soup transforms those same flavours into a thick and creamy soup, taken to a new level with the addition of fresh thyme, and a swirl of cream on top.

A hand dipping some crusty bread into a bowl of creamy parsnip soup.

What’s so good about honey roasted parsnips?

In the winter, parsnips regularly feature on my weekly shopping list. There’s something so comforting about a roasted root vegetable, and the slight sweetness of parsnips makes them extra yummy.

Since they’re slightly sweet already, a little honey goes a long way on parsnips – just enough to tip them over into true deliciousness, without covering the beautiful parsnippy flavour.

A bowlful of roasted parsnip soup with a spoon dipped in.

How to make honey roasted parsnip soup

Step 1: Roast the parsnips

You guessed it: we start with roasted parsnips.

I added a few things to the baking tray:

  • the parsnips themselves
  • wedges of onion (roasted onion is incredible)
  • plenty of salt and pepper
  • a few sprigs of fresh thyme
  • olive oil (which is tastier than a flavourless oil)
  • and a little drizzle of that all-important honey

Lay everything out in a single layer, and pop it in the oven. The parsnips will end up perfectly crispy, infused with all those incredible flavours.

A collage showing parsnips and onions on a baking tray before and after roasting.

Step 2: Deglaze the pan

Once you’ve scooped all the roasted vegetables from the baking tray, you’ll notice a whole heap of crispy, sticky bits stuck to the bottom – little corners of roasted parsnip and onion, caramelised honey, fresh thyme leaves…

We don’t want to waste all this flavour! It would be absolutely criminal to stick this pan straight in the dishwasher.

A baking tray that needs deglazing, covered in scraps of roasted vegetables and caramelised honey.

So, this bit’s super important: we need to deglaze the pan.

All this means is, pouring some boiling water onto the pan, and carefully scraping up all the stuck bits. It’s actually pretty easy, as the hot water dissolves any sticky bits, and means everything comes off really nicely.

Tip the deglazing liquid into a saucepan with the roasted parsnips. On the right hand side of this picture, you can see the colour of the water after it had been used to deglaze the pan – it adds so much flavour!

Roasted parsnips in a saucepan.

Step 3: Blend the soup

Now it’s time to get your blend on. I generally like to use a hand blender (like this one: Amazon UK* / Amazon US*) to make soup, as it means you can blend right in the saucepan, which is generally easier than transferring everything to an upright blender. For this particular soup though, it doesn’t really matter what type of blender you use.

You’ll need to add a bit more vegetable stock to thin out the soup – just add however much you need to get your desired consistency.

Blended roasted parsnip soup in a saucepan.

How to serve parsnip soup

The soup should now be thick and creamy, earthy yet sweet – really delicious. You could quite easily scoop it into bowls, and eat it as is.

However, if I’ve made my soup for guests or any sort of special occasion (perhaps even Christmas dinner?), I like to serve it with a swirl of cream on top – purely because it looks beautiful. The contrast of the white cream against the orangey brown soup is really pretty.

A few additional thyme leaves on top also make it look a bit more fancy!

A bowl of roasted parsnip soup topped with a swirl of cream and fresh thyme leaves.

What to serve with parsnip soup

Since this is a super simple soup, you don’t need to go over the top with your side dishes. Some crusty bread and butter is ideal – I like to use those baguettes that you heat up in the oven, as it makes them extra crispy, and means the butter melts nicely.

Garlic bread would be pretty amazing dipped in this too… but then, I’m always happy for an excuse to eat garlic bread.

A hand dipping a piece of crusty bread and butter into a bowl of parsnip soup.

Honey Roasted Parsnip Soup

This honey roasted parsnip soup is thick and creamy, with a touch of sweetness, and plenty of earthy parsnip flavour. Such a good appetiser or light lunch!

If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!

5 from 8 votes
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 2 bowls
Calories: 240kcal
Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 300 g parsnips (~ 2 large parsnips)
  • 1 onion
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • Few sprigs fresh thyme
  • 750 ml (~ 3 cups) hot vegetable stock or water
  • 2 tbsp cream, to serve (optional)

Instructions

  • Peel the parsnips, and cut them into finger-sized sticks. Peel the onion, and cut it into a few wedges.
  • Lay the vegetables on a baking tray (make sure you use one with raised sides), and drizzle with olive oil and honey. Sprinkle over plenty of salt and pepper, and mix to combine. Spread the vegetables out into a single layer, and lay a few sprigs of fresh thyme on top.
  • Roast at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 30 minutes, stirring once halfway.
  • When the vegetables are crispy, remove any thick thyme stalks from the tray (you can leave the leaves or any thin stalks). Then transfer the veg to a large saucepan (if using a hand blender), or straight into an upright blender.
  • To deglaze the pan, carefully pour a few tablespoons of boiling water onto the baking tray, and leave it to sit for a couple of minutes. Use a non-metal spoon or spatula to gently scrape any leftover crispy bits off the bottom of the tray, then tip the whole lot into the pan or blender.
  • Adding additional stock or water as necessary (I used about 3 cups of vegetable stock in total), blend the soup until it reaches your desired consistency. If needed, you can place the pan over the heat for a few minutes to ensure it’s piping hot before serving.
  • If desired, serve topped with a swirl of cream and a few extra fresh thyme leaves.

Notes

Don’t skip the pan deglazing! It’s a vital step to make the soup as tasty as possible.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Honey Roasted Parsnip Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 bowl)
Calories 240 Calories from Fat 77
% Daily Value*
Fat 8.6g13%
Saturated Fat 1.7g9%
Cholesterol 2mg1%
Sodium 112mg5%
Potassium 668mg19%
Carbohydrates 52g17%
Fiber 10.1g40%
Sugar 21.9g24%
Protein 2.7g5%
Calcium 107mg11%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

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If you love a creamy soup, you should definitely try my ultra creamy roasted broccoli soup:

* Note: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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11 Comments

  1. You won’t believe how tasty this honey-roasted parsnip soup is! However, not only does this soup taste amazing it is also super easy to make.5 stars

  2. Becca, this sounds delicious. I am new to your blog, so I took some time to browse through your earlier posts. I’m so glad I did that. I’m a meat eater who is trying to replace some of what my family eats with plant protein. I found lots here to experiment with. You’ve created a great spot for your readers to visit and I really enjoyed the time I spent here. I’ll be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary